Editor’s Note: Every month, DX Engineering features QSL cards from our team members’ personal collections. Usually we showcase ones from entities that are currently active or will soon be QRV. However, with so many DXers homebound these days and the number of DXpeditions reaching all-time lows, we’ve altered the rules. Until things change, you can expect a bit of everything from our stockpiles of QSL cards, including the rarest of the rare, personal favorites, and recent QSLs of historical significance.
Today, we’ll be looking back at the QSL card from Amsterdam Island FT5ZM 2014, a hugely successful DXpedition in which DX Engineering equipment played a significant role.
For 18 days in January/February 2014, the FT5ZM team (14 operators from eight different countries) logged an astounding 170,000 CW, SSB, and RTTY QSOs on 160-10 meters from Amsterdam Island, a speck of land in the southern Indian Ocean, equidistant from Madagascar, Australia, and Antarctica. Along with fur seals and penguins, the six mile long, 4.3 mile wide island is home to 30 seasonal scientists who conduct biological research.
At the time of the DXpedition, Amsterdam and neighboring St. Paul islands ranked as the 7th most-wanted DXCC entity, according to Clublog. Today, they stand at number 49 on the list.
Here’s the 2014 FT5ZM QSL card:
DX Engineering Helped Make It Happen
- DX Engineering provided several key pieces of gear, including a Complete Receive Four-Square Array Package.
- COMTEK verticals were employed for operating on 40, 30, and 20 meters.
- For guying, the team used STI synthetic rope which resisted the high winds and unique weather on the island.
- The DXpedition team also used DX Engineering Beverage antenna components to build a comprehensive receive antenna array.
DVD Available
If you’d like to see the full story of this amazing Ham radio adventure, you’re in luck! DX Engineering carries a DVD by Bob Allphin, K4UEE, detailing how this diverse, international crew reached and operated from one of the world’s most remote locales—6,000 miles from Japan, 7,000 miles from Europe, and 11,000 miles from the closest North American station.
Want to upgrade your DXing capabilities? The Elmers at DX Engineering are here to lend an ear. Reach out to them at Elmer@DXEngineering.com. Find everything you need at DX Engineering to up your game, including transceivers, antennas, amplifiers, headsets, and more.
